Untitled - Smithsonian Institution

PLANT NAMES OF THE TEWA
Chaeacter of Plant Names
A majority of the Tewa names of plants are descriptive, having
reference to some striking characteristic of the plant, to its use, its
habitat, etc. The same is true to a great extent of common English
names of plants; for instance, ground ivy, monkey flower, pine drops,
crane's bill, monkshood, jack-in-the-pulpit, etc. Just as among Eng-
lish common names of plants we find some the reason for the original
application of which is not understood, so we find similar cases among
the Indians. Why do we call a certain tree dogwood ? And why do
the Tewa call a certain plant 'coyote plant'? As a result of the descriptive
character of plant names by far the larger proportion of them
are compound. Following is a list of such names.
NON-COMPOLINDED TeWA PlANT NaMES
It will be seen from the following list that the plants which have
non-compounded and distinctive names are the most common, con-
spicuous, and widely used ones of the region. The etymology of
these words is unknown to the Tewa, the words being merel}^ phonetic
symbols employed to designate the various plants. There are com-
paratively few of these unetymologizable names. Many other plant
names are formed by compounding them.
Unetymologizable Plant Names of Native Oeigin
^Abe, chokecherry ^V", large rabbit-brush
^Awa, cattail Qwis^, mountain mahogany
^Awi, Galium, bedstraw ^*«4, guaco
ITy,, one-seeded juniper /Sa, tobacco
J4y, willow *
Sagohe^ potato-like plant
eTb, chandelier cactus Sse^ Opuntia
Kojaje, Span, yerba de vibora 8e¥se,ij^ cotton
Kio^^ oak Si, onion
Ky,y^ skunk-bush Su^ amaranth
K^a'"'^ rose Ta, grass
K'uy^ corn Te, valley cottonwood
]V4nd, aspen Te, fungus
J^wssy, rock pine (pi. 1) Tu, bean
' 04a, globe mallow. fo, Rocky Mountain sage
Po, squash, pumpkin To, pinon pine (pi. 1)
Po, Phragmites, "carrizo" ^.se, Douglas. spruce
Py.hy,^ four-o'clock Tfy^y, alder
P'«, Yucca baccata, Span. W^joha^ ragweed
"datil"
10